Bilgin Yachts has created a half dozen of the more interesting custom superyachts smaller than 200 feet in the last five years, including the vertical-bow 154-foot Giaola-Lu, 170-foot Dusur with best-in-class interior space, and the inimitable 148-foot Elada, with a reversed-hook bow resembling a bald eagle’s beak that carried the yacht into the finals of two international yacht design competitions.
The Bilgin 156, one of the latest projects from the fifth-generation Istanbul yard, is scheduled to launch next month. A second 156 sister ship is due out next spring. Unique Yacht Design’s exterior of the 156 looks fairly traditional compared to the earlier Bilgin yachts, but the soft curves on the superstructure mated to the straight hull lines give it a modern look. The exterior’s focus is clearly on gracious living, with large open decks on the top decks, a Jacuzzi and social area forward, and a beach club at the stern. Unique, which also did the naval architecture and engineering, created a tender garage along the hull sides to allow greater space at the stern beach club.
The 156 has two large, open-plan saloons, a generous owner’s suite, and a feature few yachts of this length have ever had—a magnificent central stairway. It’s a piece of art, with copper walls, glass and marble steps, and an open center that bathes several decks in natural light from skylights above. Bilgin has its own furniture shop, so interior designers H2 Yacht Design commissioned custom pieces to match the yacht’s woods, stones, and room shapes. The main and upper saloons both have bespoke furniture, as does the master suite. The owner’s living space includes an office, spacious en-suite bathroom, and yet another rarity for this size yacht—a private foldout balcony. Four guest staterooms belowdecks, when combined with the master, provide sleeping quarters for a total of 12 guests. There is also space for 24 crewmembers.
The new 156 is powered by twin 1,450 hp MTUs for a top end of 16 knots. Cruise speed is 12 knots, with a range of 5,500 nautical miles.
